China Central Ballet Troupe (CCBT) will promote four new
performances this year, allowing young artists to play the leading
roles, said Zhao Ruheng, director of the troupe, on Friday.
According to Zhao, the four new performances will include a show
of three French masterpieces, a jazz-style ballet show directed by
French maestro Roland Petit, and two most popular ballet operas
"Giselle" and "Romeo and Juliet".
"These performances, in addition to the already performed ones,
will present the audience with a diverse look at ballet," Zhao
said. "And young artists who have established their fame at home
and overseas will play major roles in the performances."
Zhao said one ballet troupe should cultivate and introduce star
artists to attract bigger audiences. In recent years, CCBT has seen
a rise of young artists represented by Zhu Yan, Zhang Jian, Sun
Jie, Wang Qimin, Meng Ningning, Li Jun and Yu Bo. Winning several
prizes at various international competitions, they were frequently
invited to perform major roles by well-known ballet troupes in the
United States, Britain, France and Japan.
Zhao revealed that a selection of a ballet star will be held at
the end of this year, so that Chinese audiences could get to know
the young ballet dancers better.
Zhao said the troupe has developed its own artistic style based
on the Russian ballet training system over the past half a century
since the CCBT was founded. In recent years, the CCBT continuously
increased its investment in production, especially new and original
works, and invited many world-renowned ballet dancers and producers
to teach the Chinese dancers.
She stressed that to join hands with theater is an effective way
for a ballet troupe to explore the market and win audience. This
year, most of the performances of CCBT will be staged in Tianqiao
Theater, in which many of the world's top ballet troupes made their
premiere in China.
The ballet troupe is also responsible for imparting the
knowledge of ballet to common people and cultivating a long-term
and stable market for ballet, Zhao noted.
"Therefore, the CCBT will also give low-price tickets to true
ballet fans and host exchange activities between artists and
audiences," she said.
(Xinhua News Agency March 25, 2006)
